Kate Martin, Perry County School District No. 32
PERRYVILLE – The return of pre-pandemic school food services procedures — when the federal government provided funding so every student could eat free breakfast and lunch at school — has resulted in a large unpaid meal balance at Perry County School District 32.
Parents can check their students’ meal account through the MySchoolBucks app. You can download the app at www.myschoolbucks.com.
According to Food Services Director Debra Baer, the unpaid meals balance has reached $38,000 for the school year. “Many families are struggling to pay for school meals,” Mrs. Baer said, “but some families are just not paying because they were used to having free meals. We are constantly working to communicate the change to all parents. However, we find that we will have to resume the practice of offering alternate meals to those students who have no money in their meal accounts. We simply cannot carry that much debt in the cafeteria, and the alternate meals may help parents understand that eating in the cafeteria again has a cost.”
The alternate meal will be a sandwich, a fruit, and a milk.
“No student will ever be asked to dump a tray or return a meal that has already been served,” Mrs. Baer said.
The cafeteria has an Angel Fund that is used to pay for meals for students whose families cannot afford school breakfast and lunches. Mrs. Baer said she and her staff also work with families throughout the year to encourage them to apply for free and reduced lunches as well, but many parents do not complete the enrollment process.
“My goal is for every student on our campus to have a nutritionally-balanced breakfast and lunch during the school day, and a free Super Snack if they participate in after-school activities.”
If your family is struggling to pay for school meals, please complete the online application for Free/Reduced Meals. Visit https://www.myschoolapps.com/ and follow the prompts.
To donate to the Angel Fund, mail a check with “Angel Fund” in the memo line to Perry County School District 32 Food Services, 326 College St., Perryville, MO 63775.
This fund is available for all students Grades PK-12 who cannot afford school meals.